Legislative Activity

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025 mandates that the Secretary of Transportation establish a rule requiring AM broadcast radio receivers to be installed as standard equipment in new passenger motor vehicles. This requirement aims to ensure public access to AM radio signals, which are often used for emergency alerts. The bill also directs a GAO study on the effectiveness of AM radio within the national emergency alert system compared to other technologies. Finally, the Act preempts state and local laws on this matter and includes a sunset provision eight years after enactment.

The Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025 allows registered investment companies to temporarily postpone the redemption of securities for "specified adults" if they reasonably suspect financial exploitation is occurring. This measure requires companies to collect emergency contact information for these accounts and establish internal procedures for handling potential exploitation cases. The Act mandates the SEC to report to Congress with recommendations for further legislative changes to protect vulnerable security holders.

The Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 ensures that active duty military personnel and essential civilian support staff continue to receive their pay if Congress has not yet passed the full budget for fiscal year 2026. This act provides automatic continuing appropriations from the Treasury to prevent a lapse in military salaries due to budget delays. The funding automatically terminates once a new budget or continuing resolution is passed, or on January 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

The Bipartisan Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program Expansion Act increases the federal share of grant funding for certain public safety activities from 50% to 60%. This change aims to reduce the financial burden on states for purchasing essential equipment. Additionally, the Act authorizes $60 million annually for this program from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

The Rural Veterans’ Improved Access to Benefits Act of 2025 aims to streamline how the Department of Veterans Affairs contracts with outside healthcare professionals to conduct medical disability examinations. This bill expands eligibility for temporary licensing arrangements for these contract workers and extends the authority for these contracts until September 30, 2031. Furthermore, it mandates that the VA report on the usage, cost, and quality of these contracted examination services.

This proposed constitutional amendment grants Congress and the states the authority to establish reasonable limits on campaign spending by candidates and outside groups to ensure fair elections. It allows for different spending regulations for individuals versus corporations or other entities. Crucially, this new power cannot be used to restrict the freedom of the press.

This bill, the ESP, Paraprofessional, and Education Support Staff Family Leave Act, updates eligibility requirements for certain school employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). It adjusts how paraprofessionals and education support staff meet the required hours of service by using a percentage of expected monthly hours worked during the school year. Furthermore, the bill mandates clear guidelines for calculating FMLA leave entitlement for these employees to account for non-standard school schedules.

The PART Act aims to combat catalytic converter theft by requiring new vehicles to have traceable identifying markers on these parts. It establishes a federal grant program to help entities stamp identifying numbers onto existing converters. Furthermore, the bill imposes strict record-keeping requirements on businesses that buy used converters and creates new federal criminal penalties for stealing or trafficking stolen catalytic converters.

The Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act of 2025 mandates the creation of standardized, easy-to-read, one-page printed information accompanying all non-hospital prescriptions. This information must clearly detail essential safety warnings, usage instructions, and side effects in plain language, ensuring patients receive vital medication data regardless of electronic access. Failure to provide this required printed material will result in the drug being deemed "misbranded" under federal law. This aims to reduce adverse drug events and lower healthcare costs through improved patient understanding.

The Bipartisan Premium Tax Credit Extension Act extends the enhanced financial assistance available for purchasing health insurance through the Marketplace. This legislation pushes the expiration date for these boosted premium tax credits, including those for higher earners, from the end of 2025 through the end of 2026. Essentially, it ensures continued, robust subsidies for Marketplace health coverage.

The Restore Trust in Congress Act establishes strict new rules prohibiting Members of Congress and their immediate families from owning or trading specific financial assets, referred to as "covered investments," while in office. Covered individuals must divest existing prohibited holdings within a set timeframe or face significant financial penalties, including fines and forfeiture of profits. The legislation aims to eliminate conflicts of interest arising from personal financial trading while serving in federal office.

The Dont STEAL Act ensures employees are paid at least the highest amount guaranteed by their contract or federal/state law. It strengthens the Fair Labor Standards Act by establishing new criminal penalties, including potential prison time, for employers who willfully commit wage theft exceeding $1,000. Furthermore, fines collected from these new criminal penalties will fund the Department of Labor's enforcement efforts.

The Wheelchair Right to Repair Act establishes a "right to repair" for powered mobility assistance devices, including motorized wheelchairs and wearable robotics. This legislation carves out exceptions to copyright law, allowing owners and independent shops to legally bypass digital locks to diagnose, maintain, and repair these essential devices. Furthermore, manufacturers are required to provide all necessary documentation, parts, software, and tools to these independent providers at fair and reasonable terms. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is tasked with enforcing these provisions as unfair or deceptive business practices.

The College Transparency Act establishes a secure, new national system for tracking student data from postsecondary institutions to improve transparency regarding enrollment, completion, costs, and post-college outcomes. This system will collect detailed, student-level data, securely matched with other federal records, to create public, aggregate reports for comparison. The law mandates strict privacy and security standards while aiming to reduce overall reporting burdens for colleges.

The Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act establishes the Healthy H2O Program to provide grants for improving drinking water quality in rural areas. These grants help eligible households and small facilities address contamination from issues like lead or PFAS by covering the costs of certified water treatment systems, installation, and testing. The program prioritizes private well owners and requires annual reporting on contamination trends and program effectiveness.

The Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act mandates that the Treasury Department, in coordination with the OMB, include a new analysis of potential financial risks from major "fiscal shocks" in its annual report. This analysis must assess the short-term and long-term financial impacts of events like recessions, natural disasters, or cyber attacks on the federal government. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) will subsequently review the methodology and findings of this new fiscal assessment.

The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act aims to grant qualified Tribal law enforcement officers the authority to enforce federal law within their jurisdiction under specific federal contracts or compacts. This requires Tribal officers and their departments to meet rigorous federal training and procedural standards comparable to those of Bureau of Justice Services employees. When acting under this authority, these Tribal officers will receive the same legal protections and benefits as federal law enforcement officers. The bill also mandates the Department of Justice to improve coordination and accountability for public safety efforts on tribal lands.

This bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to explicitly clarify that time taken off for an employee's own organ donation surgery qualifies as a serious health condition. This ensures both private and federal sector workers receive FMLA protection for recovery from organ donation. The legislation also specifies how federal employees must substitute existing paid leave when taking FMLA time for this purpose.

The Living Donor Protection Act of 2025 prohibits life, disability, and long-term care insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing premiums solely because an individual is a living organ donor. This legislation ensures that living donors are not financially penalized for their altruistic act. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of HHS to update educational materials to accurately reflect the insurance protections afforded to living donors.

The Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act aims to enhance protections for Medicare beneficiaries receiving custom braces and artificial limbs. This bill ensures that payment will not be made for certain devices shipped directly to a patient without required training from a qualified practitioner. Additionally, it expands exemptions from competitive bidding for certain providers and clarifies access to replacement custom orthotic devices.